So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Isaiah 41:10

I just realized that I didn’t share my golf ball experience with you. A couple of weeks back, I was minding my own business, driving down 41 when all of a sudden, my back passenger window exploded. Glass went flying everywhere. I was in shock. I had no clue what happened, but I kept my senses about me, somewhat, and pulled into a turning lane and stopped.

There was a car behind me who stopped as well, to see if I was okay. I asked him if I had hit something, he said, “No, but glass just started flying from your car.”

I looked around to see if I could tell what had happened, my window looked like something had hit it from the outside, but as soon as I opened the car door, all the glass fell into the back seat. It was a real mess.

I called Bobby to see what I should do, he said if I was okay, to finish up my work and get home. I asked him if he had any idea how this could happen, he said he’d heard once of a window just exploding, for no reason. (There are a couple of lessons here on my husband and sensitivity, but I’ll leave you to figure those out.)

I got back in the car and amidst the rattling of broken glass I headed on. As I drove along, I started thinking that maybe someone had shot at me. Drive by shootings do happen, although I’d never heard of one in Naples, on 41 by Pelican Marsh. Maybe in some other sections of town, but I was right across the street from one of the nicest country clubs in the area. But the idea that I might have been the victim of some sort of random violence wasn’t playing so well in my head.

Then I was pondering the suggestion from Bobby that it had just happened. That wasn’t sitting real well with me either. I was thinking if car windows could just randomly explode, I wasn’t sure I was going to be getting into a car again.

I was pretty shook up. It was a cold day, the sun was going down and it was getting colder and I had to drive with my window down and I still had over an hours worth of work to do. I was shaking like a leaf, partially from the cold, but partially from the idea of what might have just happened to me. And I did have a jacket with me, but I had taken it off earlier and it was lying in the back seat, covered with glass. I didn’t have the energy to stop and deal with all that glass at that moment, so I just turned up my heater and drove on.

By the time I got home though, I was pretty shaken. I was tired and drained and cold. I wrapped myself up in my quillow, ate some soup and went to bed early.

But the next morning when I got up, I was having some serious driving issues. What if this happened again? What exactly had happened anyway? And if you know my story, driving hasn’t been one of my strongpoints in the past, I’ve had to overcome a lot of driving phobias the last year and a half.

But, I had to work and my work involves driving and so off I went. But I shot an email to my friend, asking her to pray for me. I was shaken and I knew I needed God’s peace. And as I drove along, I prayed for God to bring me truth, to give me some insight on what had happened so I could move forward.

And as I drove by the spot of the incident from the day before, I noticed that the golf course at this club was right up against the street, in this particular area. I had thought it was in the back, but I realized differently as I drove by it that morning. And it was like God was saying to me, “It was just a golf ball Joyce. No one was trying to hurt you.”

And that revelation brought peace into my heart. The thought that someone might have actually shot at me was really messing with my head. And the idea that car windows can randomly explode, well, I couldn’t go there either. But I could handle the idea that a guy playing golf, missed his shot and somehow that stray golf ball found it’s way to me.

And I could see God’s protection over me. A second earlier and the ball might have hit my front window or driver’s window. Who knows what might have happened then? But it hit the safest place. No one was in the back seat. The impact wasn’t in my face or head, but behind me.

So many times, in my past, I would believe the lies that the enemy baited me with. And it would really mess me up. But not this time. I went to God, and his truth brought peace into my heart. Immediately.

So … just a little warning to you Neopolitans … watch out for flying golf balls!!

Father, thank you for your protection in this situation. Lord, you knew how shook up this got me, but you were immediately there to bring me comfort and peace. You are so very good to me. Thank You Jesus. I spend a lot of time on the roadways and it’s such a comfort to know you’ve got my back. Father, thank you for taking the fear and bringing truth to light.